My Journey Back Home
by Lively
Summary: This is the journey of a girl who must overcome her fears and learn the means of survival when she finds herself in the world of Gaia. FFIXFFVII Advent Children Crossover.
1. Chapter I

Author's Notes: This whole lil' (yeah right, little) story is completely and fully dedicated to Lady Lina-the-nut, who challenged me to write a FF9/7 crossover with tons of other rules. So, Lina, here it is: My challenge is completed bows. Now get me the prize! lol 

Disclaimers: Okay, here we go. First of all, I don't own a thing. I don't own FFIX, FFVII AC, its places, characters, names, etc...I don't even own Lina; She owns herself!

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** My Journey Back Home... **

** Chapter I**

_ It smells…weird…_

_ Where am I…?_

_ Trees…? Impossible! …I-I live in the city!_

I walked through the massive trunks of an ever-green forest that seemed peaceful but at the same time scary. I was scared…I didn't know where I was…I was alone. I didn't like to be alone. I came to a stop. There was a trunk being used as a walking path, I came to a stop when I reached the end of it. I was curious…as well as frightened…there was a strange, small creature at the end of it. I was scared to touch it, but at the same time, I thought it was cute…Its fur was a light color. Its eyes could not be seen. Small, bat-like, purple wings came out of its back. Finally, and most curious of all, it had a circular feathery thing held to its head by some very fine cord I didn't dare to step closer and find out what it was.

It was standing still, almost dead. In fact, I thought it might be dead. But then again, it was standing on its small feet. I walked closer, gaining enough courage to touch its fur…it was so soft…I kneeled in front of it, now staring deeply at eyes that could not be seen. I was just inches away from its huge, red nose. Fearfully, but still, I reached its nose and touched it as if I were playing with a soft teddy bear.

"KUPO! KUPOPO!" The creature suddenly screamed at the top of its lungs, if it had any, making me jump back in fear and caution. I stood up, turned my back to it, and ran as far away as possible from it. I was sweating. My heart raced furiously. I was beginning to have a headache…

Like this, the years went by, I still having the same doubts I had when I woke up in this tiny forest. I survived thanks to the occasional help of a spirit named Ramuh, who taught me to survive, but still didn't tell me what I needed to be told. Every time I asked about the place, about myself, or about anything else, he'd disappear, saying that what I seek I would find when the time was right.

After a few years, I made up my mind. I had to find out where I was. Why I was wherever it was that I was at.  
How did I got here. I had to know. I had to find out.

I was around 18 years old…or so I thought. I didn't know how much time I had spent in the forest. One day I went out the stones that were nearby to the forest. I had never dared to step further away. And so I never did. But now, now was different. I needed to go out. I truly needed to.

I took a deep breath, took a last glance at what I had unwillingly called 'home' for years and then turned my back to it, leaving the place for good.

Forgetting about what I was leaving behind, for I tried to convince myself that I had lost nothing by leaving, I fixed my eyes on a sight not far away from where I was standing. The dense mist that covered everywhere didn't allow me to see well, but I manage to spot the figure of a huge building.

For a whole day I walked, eager to know what awaited me to the other side of the gate I was about to reach. At nightfall, I reached some rather weird gates. They were made of iron and stone and wood. This made me wonder…_Did I travel in time? This seems too medieval…I can be near some empire in the medieval times!_

There were two guards there, dressed in a kinda funny blue and silver armor, who looked at me rare when I came into view.

"State your business, woman." The one to the left said.

_ 'What **is** my business?'_ I wondered…"I only wish to wander…" I managed to say. I was deeply staring at them…they were human, I remembered humans from my previous life. I remembered everything exactly like how it was back home, I just had spent so many years alone, they seemed weird to me.

The guard seemed reluctant at first, but let me in anyway.

The place was huge, though anything could be huge compared to what I lived in. There were many places to go, that I noticed once I stepped through the gates of what I read, was Lindblum Grand Castle.

I wondered where should I head to now. I had no idea what I was looking for, I could be just called a wandering lady. I went inside a place that seemed just plain weird to me. My luck helped me out this time, since the attendant there told me that I was in an Air Cab Station. Didn't help a lot, but made me feel a little better, at least. He asked me something rather weird, of course, only to me. There were four immediate options, though. I could either go to someplace called "Industrial District", "Theatre District", "Lindblum Castle" or "Business District". I had no intention yet to go to the huge castle I spotted, so I can just scratch that. I've got no business and industrial doesn't seem to be so great either...I would go to the Theatre District.


	2. Chapter II

**Disclaimers: I own nothing.**

_My Journey Back Home -- Chapter II

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I had decided I would take a ride to the Theatre District. Industrial just didn't seem the right choice. I now went out of the Air Cab Station, to the right. The place seemed…civilized, was it the word? Not as civilized as my old city, though. Would I ever see it again? Will I ever visit it, live in it, once more? 

I sighed, and lost in my thoughts, I went down some stairs.

"Hey, watch it!" I gasped. I didn't know I was wandering around so carefree as to bump into someone. He wasn't specially nice, either.

"I'm sorry, sir, I just wasn't-"

"It's alright" I was cut off by his arrogant tone. I was truly surprised. At first he seemed so mean and now…? It was just plain weird.

I looked up since what I saw when I opened my eyes wasn't…the prettiest sight to…see…yeah…but my bad luck missed me and returned to me when I looked up and actually saw something I didn't like either…too much red…man, I mean _too _much. The strange guy, who appeared to be in his teens, found me staring at him.

"What are you staring at?" He spat.

"Uhh…." I soon found myself blushing and unable to reply, for he did so for me.

"It's…no big deal. I've gotten used to it. Scars like this aren't what you expect to see in a teenager." His tone once again changed of emotion, like only an actor could manage.

"I wasn't staring at your scars. In fact, I've just noticed them." This part was true, but now I found him staring at me and I concluded it was because my accent. I hadn't noticed I spoke with an American accent while he spoke kinda…kinda…oh well. Maybe I could tell it was something near to the likes of the Russian accent.

"Where are you from?" He asked me. Now I was in trouble. Could I ever even dare to say California? No…but I didn't know where I lived all these years either. So, I just said: "I'm just…a wanderer. I have no nation."

"I see…what's your name?" I was getting tired of being asked questions I truly didn't want to answer without getting anything back. So I said, "Who are you?"

We were now walking towards a round entrance at the right. I don't know why, but I just entered, feeling that I was safe. What the hell was I thinking? This guy was so weird, no one would probably trust him so easily, but then again, I did.

"I am Blank, member of Tantalus." I almost laughed at his face at the name of 'Tantalus' and of course, at his own name too…Blank…oh my God! What where his parents thinking when they named him that?

"Tan…Tantalus?"

"What - don't tell me you haven't heard of us…!" He seemed almost crying at the sound of what I said.

"I'm afraid not, sorry." Tantalus…what might it be…?

"Oh well. Not something new. Just so you know, Tantalus is the in-famous theatre group and-" At this time I was hardly holding my great desire to burst out laughing. So, he was indeed an actor. Before he could finish his sentence, though, the doors of the small place - that only consisted of some small desks and as small beds to one side, also some weird-looking thing on the front wall…well - back to the doors. They appeared to be kicked open when a fat guy came in. Did I mention he was ugly, too?

Now…this was scary. Two more guys came in behind the fat one. One was plain ugly but the other…damn, was he hideous! Is it me, or is all people here this weird-looking and ugly, too?

"Who's the chick?" The hideous guy spoke first. Oh God, can this be true? He was wearing…well, this could be classified as nothing at all but he did in fact wear…something…His eyes were scary. Oh well, let's begin from the top…he wore a white hat that looked to be very old. It could be classified as a mix between chef and nail kind of hat. Is that even possible? Well, I did in fact see it on him. His eyes were yellow. Those were scary. Rounded around as if he had a black bandana thief-like from this very old cartoon series I used to watch everyday, just allowing his yellow eyeballs to be seen. He was pale, but had a big, rounded, red nose, that made him look funny, besides scary. He had hair around his chin that circled around his big, scary mouth. On his neck, he wore some thing I didn't know what it was, but it did look like armor. This 'armor' was accompanied by some cloth that was trying to cover something of his chest but failed miserably since all of his chest and arms were left uncovered. May I say once more that it was not a pretty sight? His bellybutton was left uncovered, too, and made me sick just to see it. Rounded, big bellybutton. Was everything about him big, rounded and ugly? Well, every cloud has its silver lining, like a say says, since he at least wore pants, unlike the redhead Blank. The guy's pants where short, leaving a bit of thin legs uncovered until you met with his old shoes, because he didn't wear socks either. His shoes were old-fashioned and had some big belts around his shoes, I don't know what for. Lastly, he had pointy ears and was clearly out of shape. He had in one of his big hands, bigger a hammer that finished to freak me out. What was he doing holding such a gigantic hammer like that? Was it his weapon, or what was it?

Well, changing topics, Blank answered to the question that escaped the short man's ugly mouth, "I have no clue."

"You don't know who she is, yet you brought her to our hideout." It was the big, tall, fat man that spoke now. To this, Blank answered, "Well, she seemed nice."

I was in shock, truly in shock. I'll just say about that man that he was tall, ugly, had bat-like ears and wore some goggles as glasses. His voice was…well, weird.

The last man, who was just as scary and the rest of what I said, as the other two, spoke in a harsh tone, "It's Blank, what did you expect?"

I was beginning to feel like I needed to get out of this place as soon as possible. To feel, no, I needed to get out of there. While I was lost in my pool of thoughts, I heard Blank say, well, yell, furiously at the one who had accused him indirectly of being an idiot.

"Shut up!" He yelled.

"Now, now, you two, behave!" It was the bat-like man, who now seemed to be ready to speak to me. I held my breath, "Who are you?", he demanded to know.

"I-I'm…uuhh…" I hesitated. I hesitated like I hadn't in all my life. Did I really want them strangers to know that I'm Michelle, from someplace I don't know where or when it is, "My name's Lina." I rapidly made up a name, remembering an old story I read long, long ago.

"Lina, eh?" He said, "I'm Baku, Leader of Tantalus, the in-famous theatre troupe and thieving experts!" He seemed to emphasize the thieving part, which I had not heard from Blank earlier. Thieves, huh? Now this was getting interesting…

"Nice to-" I was cut off indecently by Baku, who started saying, "And this is Blank, who you already met, Cinna, the hammer guy, and Marcus, the last one, all members of Tantalus."

"I see. Nice to meet you" I lied, "But I have to go now…I guess…I'll…see you?" I then walked as faster as I could to the door and went outside, thanking God that I could breathe again.

Talking about God…I wondered what religion they might have, if they even had one. Maybe if I could find out what that was, I could find out where I was or at least when, if it was a when.

_'What to do now?'_ I asked myself as I made my way back to the Air Cab Station.


	3. Chapter III

I honestly have no idea why I post this, lol the story being already complete on my computer P. Enjoy it if you will, if not then...lol Justread and review if you want. It's a long chapter so yeah, pretty good one in my opinion, but not the best one of this story. Just the longest one. --Lively

My Journey Back Home...

Chapter III

Industrial District was a pretty small place, compared to the Theatre District, at least. This was weird, such a big city divided into districts? Well, it might just be like towns for me.

I wandered around for a while, seeing just as how the sunset warned me that night was about to fall, I had to look someplace to be safe at night, but fast. I was more aware of my surroundings now, cautious as if I were traveling New York's streets alone and at night. I didn't know of the dangers at this place, and I didn't feel like risking my safety one bit. After meeting such weird, ugly people, I had to live to see pretty sights again.

Just then I came to face an alley. Great - dead end. Now I was beginning to get scared…in all the stories I read, something would always happen at nightfall in an alley. Well, maybe it was just me thinking that all the stories I had read would once come true. Who knows? I had no clue where I was, when I was where I was at nor why. Not to mention how, too. This was just the perfect plot for a story, but now wasn't the time for this.

I felt something touch me. I had no idea what might it be. Whatever it was, it had touched me on the waist. 'What the hell…?' I thought. It was just now that I noticed I had been mugged. I tried to figure out what had been stolen from me since I had no belongings I could be stolen.

"What the…?" I heard a teenage male ask to the air. The same that had tried to take something away from me. This I knew, once the teenager came back into view, asking me why I had absolutely nothing. He seemed sad at the fact that he could steal nothing but he didn't act like a villain - in fact, he was admitting he had tried to steal something. This was just too weird. Maybe stealing was some kind of art in this place…?

"You don't seem from around here…are you a traveler?" He was blonde, his voice was that of an American boy. "Yeah" I wasn't truly lying this time.

"What's your name?"

"Lina" Do we all have to lie to live? I seemed to think so back then.

"Lina…I'm Zidane." He…he-he had a…a TAIL?

He noticed my rude staring and added as rude a glare. I tried to apologize, explaining that I was not used to see people with tails…which was true. But after meeting the Tantalus guys…well…a tail was so much better. I actually found it cute.

"It's late at night…do you have somewhere to stay?" I blinked at his question. Wasn't he supposed to be a thief? But then again, all the Tantalus guys were thieves and look at how they treated me. I mean, they did freak me out, but they were nice to me, though so mean to each other. I guess it was their nature.

"No…actually, I haven't thought about that…" I told him the truth.

"Well, if you walk a few more steps, you'll be in the Air Cab Station again, that runs non-stop. You can take a ride there to the Business District and once you get pass some streets, you'll find an inn. You need 100 gil to stay a night, but as I just tried to get some coins from you and you hadn't any, we can scratch that option." This guy amazed me. How can he waste so many words to tell me he can't help me?

Gil? What was that? Maybe money…yeah, he did mention some coins.

"Oh…" "But that doesn't matter, here, have this, stay a night, then we'll see what we do tomorrow." He handed me a couple of small bronze coins. Stunned, I took them, having no other option. With this, he said goodnight and left me after wishing me good luck. What a weird one! First he tries to steal from me, then he gives me money.

I sighed, and tried to figure out what time was it. Apparently no one truly cared to know the exact time it was, or they didn't have a way of knowing it. They all seemed to work by the means of daylight and moonlight.

I looked up, to the sky. Not many stars could be seen. In fact, if more than ten could be seen, it would seem as a miracle in this city. I could actually count how many stars I could see. I tried searching for the moon, if I could find it, I could guess at what time in the month I was, since I had already figured we were at the beginning of autumn. I couldn't tell the exact month, though, because that changes depending on the location in the world of this city. And I didn't even knew if this was the same world I knew as home.

Tired of staring at the moonless sky, I decided to leave the Industrial District and follow the blonde Zidane's advice. I walked carelessly through the now slightly wet streets of Lindblum, since it had begun raining a little. I reached the Air Cab Station for the third time in my day, greeted the attendant and asked him to take me to the Business District like I thought any other citizen would.

As expected, the ride wasn't all that pleasant. The Air Cab made some rather annoying noises that didn't allow sleep to accompany anyone. It also swung from side to side, like only a roller coaster could manage to do. On top of all this, you got the feeling that it might brake any second. Apparently, the engine was consciously over-used besides of being old.

After what seemed as half an hour, the Air Cab finally came to a stop. Slightly dizzy, I went out of it and walked towards the direction Zidane had verbally pointed out. I didn't have to walk much until I reached the Inn, a two-story place made of wood and stone, like was the rest of the city. But mostly wood.

I entered the place, feeling the warmth of it greet me when I went inside. To my left side was a tall statue, of something that was like a bird. I found it ugly almost instantly, reason why I now looked to my right side. There was a man seated behind a counter, staring at me. I reached him, and asked him for a room.

"That would be 100 gil, miss" He was still staring at me, act that came to be annoying to me.

"Yes, here" I handed him the coins Zidane had given me, praying that the amount was the one asked.

"Here's your key, miss, your room is up the stairs, first room to the right." I took the key and was about to walk to the stairs when I heard the man speak to me once more, "There are some clothes in the room's closet, feel free to take them after you leave."

Damn him, so that was why he was staring. After all the day events, I hadn't noticed my clothes at all. Most of the females I had seen around the districts wore some really old-fashioned dresses, and I wore long, black jeans with a pretty royal blue sleeveless shirt and a black hat.

I decided to ignore the comment and went up the stairs, wondering how to open the door that was now in front of me.

After 3 minutes of trying to open the door, that didn't even have a knob, I managed to get inside the room, but now was another task to close the door and lock it.

It was late at night, that I could tell. Somehow sleep didn't dare knock my door. I was tired, but now that the day was over, and sleep was reluctant to come, I had plenty of time to think about all that had happened in the few years. I became to wonder more than I had never wondered before. At the little forest I was at, I hardly remembered who I was or what I had lived before. But now that I came back to civilization, I came to notice the differences my home and this place had, and that made me remember most, if not all, of what I had lived. These thoughts of my family, my friends, all what I had lived for, haunted me, and I felt sadness stab me with its wicked knife as I came to realize that I probably wouldn't ever see my home again. I probably wouldn't breathe the same air that used to fill my lungs anymore. It now felt toxic.

By these thoughts, I finally fell asleep.

It was now morning, I figured around 10 a.m., judging by the sun's position. I rose to a sitting position on the small bed of the inn. With slow steps, I went inside the bathroom and managed to take a bath. The bathroom was weird indeed, and as old-fashioned as everything else was. I then took a glance at the closet and decided to try on the clothes it had. They were all dresses.

"Let's see…blue, blue, blue, pink…green, blue, pink again, blue once more and blue. Oh my, what a wide selection of colors they have!" I said sarcastically while putting out the green one, one blue and one pink.

After deep thinking, I chose to wear the blue one and went out of the room, since I noticed it was nearly the time when I had to sign out. It was now that I noticed they also served breakfast, as I opened the door with less difficulty and found breakfast outside the room. I took it in and wondered what kind of food they ate. I was relieved to see nothing gross on the plate. I found nothing interesting either, but at least it didn't taste bad. I was more relieved to see a cup of tea served with the meal.

I went down the stairs after finishing my breakfast and gave the innkeeper the key of the room, and still remembering how he had stared at me the night before, I went out of the inn without a word.

Still carrying my old clothes with me, but wearing the light blue dress I took from the inn, I rode the Air Cab to the Theatre District, since I figured wanderers were not allowed into the Lindblum Castle.

I didn't look for anything, I just felt like going to the Theatre District.

Summarizing, I came to work with the Tantalus guys. Don't ask me how it happened, since I can't tell that well myself. For three weeks now, I aided the guys in everything I could, learning few tricks from them as well. From stealing a few coins, to rehearsing small plays, I became quite attached to these weird guys. As the time passed, they had come to like my company, too. Everything was doing pretty well, until that day. I remember it well, and how I regret what I said.

"Lina…you have the talent, and we gave you the skill. Now's the time when I feel I can ask you, also on behalf of my boys who wish the same, Lina, will you join Tantalus?" I simply stared and blinked. I could've said yes instantly, but no, I had to think about it.

And finally, 'no' I had said. The 'no' that changed my life.

After all this happenings, I felt I could no longer live with the guys, nor work with them. I had earned a few gil from working with them, as well as experience, and, as Baku had said, skill. I thought I could live on my own so I made yet another wrong decision. I decided to leave Lindblum.

Not long ago, Baku had showed me a map of the continent we lived in. He taught me about the many places it had, and it was this way I came to realize it was impossible for me to step on Earth anymore. I knew there were many other civilizations out there and suddenly the thought of visiting them and learning something that might help me return to my home overweighed the desire of joining Tantalus.

I knew that if I went through the Hunter's Gate, all the options I had to get out was to go down a cliff and that was not my idea of travel. So I took the Dragon's Gate instead, since I wouldn't survive swimming and that was what the Serpent's Gate lead to. With the few gil I had, I bought what I thought necessary for my journey and saluted the man guarding the gate when I passed him by.

And so it happened, I had left Lindblum. Before I knew it, I was out of the city I had lived for almost three months. I knew what the nearest civilization was and so I headed north.

Sunset was around the corner, and so I decided to speed up my traveling rate so I could reach shelter before nightfall surprised me. Some say that wandering around the King Ed Plains is not a good idea at night. I remembered the advice the Tantalus gave me once we found ourselves being hunted by three blue birds known as Trick Sparrows. I remember them saying: "If you can take them on, end it quickly. If it will take you time, get outta there and if you can't take them, don't even try - just run! But remember always stealing first." It was Marcus, Cinna and Blank the ones who had pointed these things out. As a monster approached me from the distance, I remembered their words and ran - I was running out of time to reach a cavern to the north of Lindblum.

And so I ran, and ran, making my way through small forests and some random tall grass. I even passed some wetlands but I didn't bother stopping by. I just wanted to reach this cavern before nightfall.

My efforts didn't pay what I had wished for, since I noticed the cavern far, far away and also noticed that there was no way I could reach it without collapsing. So I set up a tent in front of a tree that was the entrance to a small forest to the northeast of the wetlands.

As soon as two days after, taking rather long rests from time to time, I finally reached the cavern I had longed for. 'Here I am…Gizamaluke's Grotto…' I told myself.

I entered the cavern, a sudden smell of freshly shed blood filling the air. This scared me. I took my right hand and placed it in the long knife hanging from my jeans' belt, since I had changed back to my old clothes once I was out of civilization. This was the first weapon I ever held, with it, I made some stealing jobs for the Tantalus guys, and later Blank had taught me how to use it properly.

Cautiously, I walked inside the cavern, the first thing I found was a dead corpse lying next to me. It was the body of a dead rat, what I expected to be of the Burmecian race. The feeling of having a dead body lying next to me, that I could tell didn't die in the most peaceful way, made me sad. I shook these feelings away, and noticed the door to the grotto was open. This made me wonder a lot. Wasn't all doors in this cavern supposed to be magically locked? Something was wrong, and I wasn't sure to wanting to find out what it was.

I felt the presence of weird creatures everywhere, though I didn't know what it was nor where. I stepped through the opened door that lead into a small wooden bridge connecting with the stone floors of the cavern. I walked as fast as I could, for I wanted to get out of the place fast. I didn't know where to go, but common sense told me to get to the nearest door.

My goal was to reach that door, but something odd happened before I could even react. I felt dizzy all of the sudden and was forced to close my eyes. My head spun around and around for what seemed hours and I couldn't help but to held it tightly with my hands, as if it would fall off any second. My feet where reluctant as to hold me until they finally collapsed and brought me on my knees, now screaming at the awful pain I felt through every nerve of my body.

It all was twisted in my mind until it finally stopped. I gasped, drowning in the lack of air around me. Finally, air came back and I took a deep breath. I was alive though I much rather be dead at the time.

I stood up, still shaking from the previous happenings. I didn't know what was wrong and I felt scared. I needed someone I could trust by my side at this very moment and so I cursed the second I rejected Baku's offer.

I felt the air cleaner than before, no longer did the blood could be felt in the air. I held my tears back and made my way through the door I had planned on stepping through. Oddly enough, it was now closed. I had heard of the only way of opening these doors, so I searched everywhere I could for something I could recall as a bell.

After long hours of searching, I finally found the bell I was looking for. I read its inscriptions: "Cherish this moment, for happiness is elusive." I stepped in front of the door and rang the bell. The bell in my hand shattered, while the one in the door allowed me to enter.

In this next chamber, that was more lit by many torches, I found a huge bell on the floor, and a bright treasure chest in front of it. I rapidly opened it, revealing a much larger bell inside it. I recognized this as the Holy Bell, for its inscriptions: "The angel is ready to fly. Follow your heart and fly away."

I used this bell to chatter the one holding the holy door's bell, leaving it open. I hesitated as if to step through the path between the waters that surrounded this cavern and to the exit of the grotto. I feared that Master Gizamaluke would come out and block my way. But there was no time to hesitate. I had hallucinated in this cavern once, painfully, and it could happen again. And so I took another large breath, and ran through the path, pushed the last door open and went out of the grotto.

The day was in its middle hour and the sun shined through the Daines-horse Basin. Vast mountains surrounded all that could be seen and now it was that I noticed with rejoice that I had reached the place I wanted, I needed to visit.

I spotted a perpetual thunderstorm forever dancing on top of a city.


End file.
